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How to Help a Friend or Relative Battling With Heroin Abuse

Approaching someone about heroin abuse is challenging. Although it may be a difficult subject to breach, watching your loved one suffer is much worse. At Brightside Clinic in Northbrook, Illinois, their trusted addiction recovery center provides compassionate support and treatment to help people heal.

Many people feel uncomfortable confronting someone about a drug abuse problem. Often, they fear how the person will react. Other times, they may feel unsure whether the problem is serious enough to address. In general, if you notice your friend or family member’s health, relationships, work, or other aspect of their life is negatively affected by their habit, it’s time to talk about it.

It’s a good idea to carefully observe your loved one’s habits over the course of about a week, so you can provide specific examples of how drugs affect them. You may also want to approach other friends and family for additional support. A substance abuse professional is an excellent resource for not only assessing the situation, but advising you how to proceed. When a person takes illegal drugs, they put other people in danger, and you should address the issue immediately.

If you fear the person will be angry or try to deny the issue, this means an intervention is even more crucial. Until the person acknowledges their problem, they won’t be able to change. You should remember substance abuse can alter someone’s perspective and emotions, and try not to take their reaction personally. When you bring up the topic of heroin, make sure you’re in a quiet and private environment. Avoid expressing judgment and instead focus on an open-ended, compassionate discussion.

Addiction escalates quickly, so help your friend or family member now before heroin causes their life to spiral out of control. At Northbrook’s best addiction recovery center, their trusted staff provides expert treatment for a range of substance abuse problems, including heroin and opiate addiction. For advice on how to approach a drug dependence problem, contact a caring expert at Brightside Clinic today. Call them at (224) 205-7866, or visit their website to learn more.